


Countdown

by RedRowan



Series: The Boxer's Daughter [11]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Childbirth, F/M, Female Matt Murdock, Pregnancy, Punisher Season 1 spoilers, Rule 63
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 12:42:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13811397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRowan/pseuds/RedRowan
Summary: The human gestation period is generally 40-41 weeks.  Mattie is counting them down.





	Countdown

**Author's Note:**

> Here she comes - baby Nelson-Murdock!

_20 Weeks_

Mattie wakes up from another nightmare, about the baby exploding out of her uterus, like Pallas Athene from the head of Zeus, fully armed and armored. She’s been having the same dream ever since the fight at Midland Circle.

Groaning, she hauls herself out of bed to use the toilet. These days, she never passes up the opportunity to pee.

When she climbs back into bed, Foggy wraps his arm around her.

“Same dream?” he mumbles.

“Yeah.”

He waits. He knows what’s coming.

“What if the poison actually got to her?” Mattie says.

“You said yourself that Danny got to you before it could,” Foggy says, infinitely patient.

“What if the chi hurt her?”

“You know it didn’t.”

“What if she can use chi like Danny?”

“Then we’ll get him to teach her.”

“What if I’m carrying a tiny Iron Fist?”

“Mattie.” Foggy squeezes her. “I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works. There’s a dragon, or something.”

“We don’t know that! Danny said he didn’t know what the effects could be.”

“You haven’t had any reaction, Colleen’s never had any reaction, I think we’re fine.”

“What if it’s me? What if the accident screwed up my DNA, or made my eggs mutate, or something?”

“Kitten, every test they’ve done has said she’s healthy. And if there’s anything wrong, that wouldn’t be your fault, and we would deal with it.”

Mattie pauses in her panic.

“What if she’s completely normal?” she whispers.

“Never gonna happen.” Foggy’s hand slips lower to her belly. “She’s going to be the most perfect creature in existence. Objectively.”

“What if she’s a _Republican_?”

Foggy seems to think about that. “Then we cut her out of the will.”

 

_23 Weeks_

Colleen stops by the apartment to return the suit from her latest turn as Daredevil. Mattie isn’t sleeping well anyway, and Foggy is at work, so Mattie asks her to stay for a cup of tea.

“How did it go?” she says.

“Not great,” Colleen says. “There’s a huge power vacuum right now in the drug trade, with Gao gone. We’re just putting out fires there, can’t get at any of the major players.” She turns the mug on the table, the bottom scraping against the wood.

“We will find them,” Mattie says. “Even if it has to wait until the baby comes, and I can go out and help.” She takes a sip of chamomile tea. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. Really. I’m not…I’m not doing much, the best I can do is make sure no-one connects you with Daredevil.”

“Did you help someone tonight?”

Colleen pauses. “Yeah. Sure.”

“Then you’re doing something that’s important to someone.” Mattie sighs and rubs at her belly, where the baby is kicking.

“You know, I get the whole mask thing now,” Colleen says. “It’s…you can feel yourself let go, can’t you? When you wear it?”

“Yeah.”

“Bet that was hard to give up.”

“It was.”

“So…I’m pretty good at the fighting part, but I need one trade secret.”

“OK?”

“How do you do the disappearing into thin air thing? I tried it tonight, and I hadn’t gotten around the corner by the time he turned around. Felt like an idiot.”

Mattie laughs.

“The secret,” she says, “is that no-one ever looks _up_.”

 

_25 Weeks_

“What are you making?” Mattie says. She’s holding Maggie’s work, but it only feels like crocheted yarn. No real shape, just texture.

“I’m starting with a hat,” Maggie says. “The website said it would be easiest.”

Mattie smiles and holds the hat-to-be up to her nose. “Acrylic?”

“Yes.”

“It’s very soft.”

“It’s for babies. And it’s machine washable.” She takes her crocheting back and starts working, looping the yarn around the hook. “It’s yellow.”

“Not pink?”

Maggie stops. “Do you want pink?” she says, and her heart says she’s nervous.

“No! No, I’m…we don’t want all that pink shit around her either,” Mattie says, reaching out and putting her hand over Maggie’s.

“I’m sorry, Mattie,” Maggie says, squeezing her hand. “I just…I couldn’t do anything right, when it came to you, and I don’t want you to -‘

“Don’t say that,” Mattie says. It’s been hard to let go of a lifetime of abandonment issues, but if Maggie is willing to make the effort, then so is she. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Maggie just gives her hand another squeeze, then reaches over to pick up her mug of tea.

“What should I watch out for?” Mattie says quietly. “In case…just in case.”

Maggie starts crocheting again. “Does your doctor know that you have a family history of post-partum psychosis?”

Mattie nods. “We told her right at the beginning.”

“Good. It’s good, you’ll have people around looking out for you. I will, too.” Loop, twist, pull. Yarn tugs against yarn. “The mood swings, that was what I first noticed. I couldn’t stop crying. But then I became paranoid about you, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

Mattie’s hand rests on her belly, feeling the baby shifting.

“It’s different for everyone,” Maggie continues. “Just…don’t be afraid to reach out.”

“Historically, I haven’t been very good at that,” Mattie says.

“Really?” Maggie hums skeptically. “You know, we do have internet. I read about you. And Luke, and Jessica, and Danny.” Mattie rolls her eyes. “You walk into battle with your friends. This isn’t any different.”

Mattie sighs and tries to believe her mother is right.

“She’s kicking,” she says.

Maggie drops the crocheting and presses her hand against Mattie’s belly.

“I feel it,” she whispers.

 

_31 Weeks_

“You know,” Brett says, “my life was so much easier before you came along.”

“We’ve known each other since we were eighteen,” Mattie says.

“You know what I mean.”

Mattie gestures to the hotel room around them, which is showing the effects of a Frank Castle rampage. “I didn’t do this.”

“No, your client did.”

“My _clients_ are the three heroes in that room back there who stopped a domestic terrorist from murdering -“

“Your other client?”

“Does Karen need representation too, now?”

Brett sighs, and Mattie does feel bad for him. Just a little.

“Karen says Castle showed up because he was looking out for her,” Brett says.

“That’s…not impossible.”

“There something going on with them?”

“She’s not aiding and abetting.”

“Not saying that.” He pauses, and Mattie suspects he’s giving her a significant glance.

“Are you going to let the four of them go?” she says. In the other room, she can hear Jessica swearing while Danny brightly assures her that Mattie will get them out of this.

“Look, this vigilante shit -“ Brett says.

“Stopped Frank Castle from killing Lewis Wilson,” Mattie interrupts. “Luke took that grenade, and now justice can be done. And I’m sure we can all sleep better for it.”

“Not in Castle’s case.” Brett puts his hand on her arm and leads her down the hall, to where the elevator is sitting open, tape across the door. “Did you know Castle would be here?”

“No. Ben Urich was keeping tabs on Karen after that radio interview, and called us when the first report came out.” She can feel Brett’s hesitation. “I don’t keep in contact with Frank.” 

“He’s ‘Frank’?”

“He saved my life, Brett. What else am I going to call him?”

Brett gestures to the hall, where Mattie can still smell blood. “You going to represent Wilson, too?”

“Of course not. That would be a huge conflict of interest on my part. Not to mention bad timing.” She rests her hand on her belly.

“Yeah,” Brett says, his tone a little softer. “Look, do me one favor, and I’ll let your guys go.”

“Depends.”

“How’d Castle get out? We’ve got him taking Karen into the elevator in the basement, and she’s the only one who gets out.”

There’s no-one else in the hallway to overhear. Mattie cocks her head. Brett groans.

“Just tell me how you’d do it,” he says.

“Up the shaft,” she says. “I’d go the whole way up, but I’m guessing that’s not how Frank did it. He’s not as good at parkour as I am. He probably just climbed a floor or two, then took the stairs the rest of the way.”

“To the roof? There’s nowhere to go but straight down.”

Mattie smiles. “I could do it.”

She can hear Brett’s jaw working.

“Do we have a deal, Detective?” she says.

“Yeah. Your guys are free to go. But they’re still witnesses.”

“Don’t leave town, we all know the drill. Also, is there a restroom around here that’s not a crime scene?”

 

_33 Weeks_

“Karen said you had a bun in the oven,” Frank says in the silence.

“Pretty hard to miss,” Mattie says.

They’re sitting in the conference room in Homeland Security’s offices, waiting for Agent Madani to give the final go-ahead for Frank’s plan to save Sarah and Zach Lieberman. It may be the worst deal Mattie has ever negotiated on behalf of a client.

“I’m guessing you’re about to drop?” he says.

“Six weeks,” she says absently. “Thereabouts.” There’s no-one in the hall outside. “Look, let me make a call to my friends, they can help -“

“Nah, Red. Don’t need some superhero bullshit getting thrown into this.” Frank shrugs. “If you were offering, I’d take it.” He’s telling the truth. “But I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t fit in the suit right now.”

“That’s rude of you.”

He huffs a chuckle.

“You look good,” he says. “Got that, y’know, glow.”

 _What are you planning, Frank?_ She knows him well enough to know that the plan Madani heard is not the plan Frank made. But she can’t ask the question, because she’d rather have Frank Castle coming to rescue her than the entirety of Homeland Security.

“Would you -“ he starts.

“What?”

“Tell Karen…” He shakes his head. “I don’t know. Just take care of her.”

“She doesn’t like being taken care of.”

“Don’t I know it.”

The baby shifts, and Mattie gives out a little “oof,” putting her hand on her belly.

“Baby?” Frank says.

“Yeah. She’s stopped kicking as much, but I still feel like she’s punching me in the kidneys. Or the bladder, actually.”

“Gonna be just like her mom.” Frank’s hand lifts, reaching out, but he stops himself. Mattie reaches over, brushing her hand down his arm, and takes his hand. She lays it on her belly, where she can feel the baby’s movement. Frank’s breath catches when he feels it. For a long moment, they sit there together.

Madani opens the door.

“We’re ready,” she says, before she disappears down the hall.

Frank stands up.

“Don’t ever take it for granted, Red,” he says. “What you got, you hold onto it with both hands, and don’t let go.”

Mattie swallows the lump that has suddenly appeared in her throat. “I know,” she says. “Be careful.”

He doesn’t say anything, just drops his hand to her shoulder, and then he’s gone.

 

_41 Weeks_

Mattie goes into labor on January 23. Karen stopped by for lunch, since Mattie has been complaining for a week that she’s been practically housebound, ever since she started her maternity leave. At first, Mattie just notices a cramp in her back while Karen sets out deli sandwiches. It’s gone quickly, but comes back about twenty minutes later. Then again.

“Are you OK?” Karen says.

“Hm?”

“You’re getting that look you used to get. You know, when you were hurt.”

“I’m fine, I’m -“ _Huh._ There it is again. “I think I might be in labor.”

It’s almost funny, the way Karen panics internally while trying to stay calm. 

“OK! OK, should we call Foggy? No, we should get you to the hospital first - wait, do you have your -“

“It’s OK, Karen,” Mattie says. The contraction is already gone. “We’re supposed to wait until they’re about five minutes apart.” She picks up the rest of her sandwich.

“ _How are you eating?_ ” Karen hisses.

“I’m going to need energy? I’ve been reading up on this, it’ll probably take a few hours for the contractions to speed up.”

“We should call Foggy.”

Mattie shrugs. “No point in dragging him away from work.”

Karen insists on staying with Mattie, setting up her laptop and asking every five minutes or so whether Mattie is OK.

“Dealt with way worse,” Mattie says from the bedroom, where she’s trying to meditate.

“This isn’t the Hand!”

“Thank God for that.”

Two hours later, when the contractions are less than ten minutes apart, she allows Karen to call Foggy. He arrives in a whirlwind of nervous sweat and frantic heartbeats, and Mattie takes a deep breath in and a long breath out before she tries to interact with the two people who are not currently bringing a life into the world.

They call Linda, her doctor, who agrees that it’s time to go to the hospital. Foggy calls the number Danny gave them to order a Rand Enterprises SUV to take them to the hospital, then calls Claire to meet them there.

Mattie had said, when they needed to come up with a birthing plan, that if anything went wrong, she trusted Claire to save her and the baby.

Mattie lets herself be hustled from the apartment to the car to the hospital and into a bed, breathing through the pain and reminding herself that the mind controls the body. She tries some of the meditation techniques Danny taught her, trying to open up her chi. Foggy paces around her, knowing not to disturb her.

It’s really quite peaceful.

Claire and Linda are both excited, but untroubled. There don’t appear to be any complications. The contractions are painful, but Mattie can cope with pain, and at least this time, she knows that it will be worth it, in the end.

Claire is unimpressed when Mattie finally lets out a groan as she starts to push.

“This isn’t the worse shape I’ve seen you in,” Claire says.

“That’s what I keep saying!” Mattie says.

“Not helping!” Foggy says. “Ugh, now I’m having flashbacks…”

Mattie reaches over and pulls him to her, cupping his face with her hand.

“Glad you’re here,” she whispers.

He kisses the tip of her nose.

Mattie will admit, even with all her training and stamina, childbirth _hurts_. There’s nothing she can do to stop it, just work through it. Foggy clutches one hand, and Claire clutches the other, while Linda tells her in a gentle voice when to push and when to breathe, and meaningless encouragements.

“Big push!” Linda calls.

And it _happens_. The baby is out, and Claire lays her on Mattie’s chest, toweling her gently, while Linda reminds them that she still needs to deliver the placenta. Foggy’s half-laughing and half-crying. The placenta is delivered, and the umbilical cord is cut, splashing blood on the floor. Linda laughs.

And the baby is perfect, even smelling of amniotic fluid and blood. She nuzzles against Mattie’s skin, heart fluttering. She takes in a breath, then cries.

Foggy reaches over and slides a finger under her hand, letting the tiny fingers wrap around it. Mattie adjusts her position, and the baby calms.

“Hey…” Foggy whispers.

“We did it,” Mattie says.

Linda fusses around Mattie, taking measurements, making sure the baby is healthy. Mattie barely notices her.

Eventually, the baby nuzzles at Mattie’s breast, and starts feeding.

“Somebody’s hungry,” Claire says, still stripping off her protective gear.

“It’s all that chi energy she got,” Mattie says.

After she’s fed, the baby is taken away to be washed and examined, and Mattie is transferred to a private room. It has its perks, being friends with the hospital’s owner.

Foggy has a flood of texts from his family as he throws himself into the chair next to Mattie’s bed.

“Did you tell Maggie?” Mattie says.

“Yes, and she says she’ll be here in the morning.” He groans. “And we should tell Danny and Jess -“ he says.

“I’ll take care of that,” Claire says, tucking the blanket around Mattie. “I’ll just tell Luke, and he’ll tell Danny, and then everyone will know.”

“Thanks, Claire.”

“You want me to tell them her name? Or do you two want to hold onto that?”

“No, you can go ahead,” Mattie says.

Foggy puts his hand over hers.

“Ruth,” he says. “Ruth Claire Nelson-Murdock.”

Claire pauses, and Mattie smells salt in the air. Claire leans over and kisses Mattie’s forehead, and ruffles Foggy’s hair.

“I’ll tell them,” she says.

In the morning, when Karen passes Ruthie over to Danny in the crowded room, she turns on Foggy and Mattie.

“You named your daughter after Ruth Bader Ginsburg, didn’t you?”

“Guilty,” Mattie says, not missing a beat.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to all of you who've been so supportive! And to everyone who's been concerned that Jessica got short shrift on the baby front - don't worry, she'll always be the Cool Aunt.
> 
> And yes, Linda is Linda Carter, the 616 Night Nurse.


End file.
